WALK LIGHT TO LIGHT

You can either drive or fly to this walk. If driving please meet us at the Seahorse Inn, Eden which will be our accommodation for the next 3 nights.

If flying, flights are available with Rex Airlines from Sydney or Melbourne to Merimbula. These will need to be booked independently. Today is an arrival day to spend at leisure. Our tour starts after breakfast tomorrow. Tonight we’ll enjoy a lovely dinner at the Inn served with wine.

TRAIL NOTES

13.2km. 4.5 hours walking with breaks. Medium grade. Undulating terrain with short steep hills.

TERRAIN

There are several short steep ascents and descents. The track is well-formed with a firm surface and some rough, narrow sections where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely.

WALK ITINERARY

After a hearty breakfast meet your guide in the foyer of the Seahorse Inn at 8.00am for transfer to the start of our walk. We begin our coastal trek at the northern end overlooking Twofold Bay from Boyds Tower and admire this historic sandstone building originally intended to be a lighthouse.

Boyd’s Tower was constructed in the late 1840s as part of an ambitious plan by Benjamin Boyd to establish Eden as a major commercial port. He was however denied official approval to use the tower as a lighthouse and the main use for this tower came from shore-based whales of the coastline.

We pass open grassy areas such as between Mowarry Point and Leather Jacket Bay, you may see eastern grey kangaroos grazing. Between the gently curving rocky landscapes of Leatherjacket Bay and Mowarry Point, we hike through coastal forests and heath and across red-rocked platforms. Marvel how Mowarry point has a direct line of sight to both Boyds Tower and Green Cape. See if you can pick out other headlands along the way from where you might be able to see a lighthouse.

We follow the trail and look out for seals and seabirds year-round, or migrating whales in season, particularly between September and November. Finally, we head to the pristine Saltwater Creek Beach to cool down with a swim or surf.

After our walk, we transfer to the charming waterfront Seahorse Inn Hotel for our next 2 nights accommodation. Tonight enjoy dinner in the restaurant featuring fine dining served with wine.

TRAIL NOTES

9kms. 3 hours one way journey with breaks. Medium Grade.

TERRAIN

Sections of coastal forest, heath and rock platforms. Some steep hills and gentle hills, occasional steps and some rough, rocky where fallen trees and other obstacles are likely. The track has a firm surface; some sand. 

WALK ITINERARY

After breakfast at the hotel, we head out for the day’s adventure. Today we start our walk at Saltwater Creek. We will be taking in stunning and ever-changing views passing banksia woodlands, sheltered coves and red-rock platforms.

We stop for a dip at the small and scenic Bittangabee Beach in Bittangabee Bay, then on to the nearby Bittangabee Bay Ruins and explore the remnants of incomplete structures dating back to the 1840s. In the 1840s, the Imlay Brothers used Bittangabee Bay as a base for some of the early shore-based whaling operations undertaken in and around Twofold Bay.

We also pass vital ecosystems such as heathlands which are home to a remarkable diversity of plant and animal species, many of which occur only in this habitat. In spring and early summer, heathland areas come alive with an array of honeyeaters and other nectar-feeding birds.

From our walk, we will head to our cruise boat for a stunning cruise of the pristine and colourful coastline. Encounter birdlife and if we are lucky seals and dolphins (in November you may even spot a migrating whale).

Afterwards, we transfer back to the Seahorse Inn Hotel for a wonderful dinner in the restaurant featuring fine wine.

TRAIL NOTES

8.5kms Medium Grade. 3 hours.

TERRAIN

A combination of gentle hills with occasional steps, short steep hills, and flat areas. 

WALK ITINERARY

After a leisurely breakfast, we set out on our final day towards Green Cape Light station our final destination. We follow a trail that was traditionally travelled by lightkeepers taking supplies that were off-loaded at Bittangabee Bay; look closely for remnants of the old horse-drawn tram track.

You’ll find a walkway to the lookout at the tip of Green Cape where you can stop to look for dolphins and take in stunning views across Disaster Bay. Stroll down to the end of the rocky cape and with plenty of good vantage points looking out to the sea, the walk offers an ideal chance to look for whales migrating along the coastline – especially during autumn and spring. Watch out also for seals or seabirds plunging into the ocean waters for a feed of fish.

If you’re lucky you may also spot a sea eagle riding the thermal air currents in slow majestic circles, or hovering low over the water before dropping down to catch fish or waterfowl.

The Green Cape lighthouse commenced operations in 1883 as part of a plan by Francis Hixson to ‘light the coast like a street with lamps’. This was an especially important development in an age when coastal shipping offered the main communication and supply line between isolated coastal communities and ports such as Sydney and Melbourne. At 29m tall, it was the largest mass concrete structure built in NSW up until that time. Today the light’s operation is fully automated and the NPWS manages the site.

Afterwards, our guides will drop you at Merimbula airport at 2.45 pm for your return flight to Sydney.